Project XS

[atom4488]

Call me crazy, but there is a plan to resurrect this 1983 Special wreck.

Why, you say? Reasonable question, given its state. I would like to build a "custom" but don't want to cut up or irreversibly modify my '77 XS D, so this is my blank canvas.
The Bad:
- seized, incomplete engine
- cut up wiring harness
- rusty to a degree, but not awful
The Good;
- chassis titled in my name
- have a complete/running engine
- have most if not all the parts to complete
In QC, a vehicle that has not been plated within the last 12 months needs to undergo an inspection. Modded bikes are frowned upon if not altogether uncertifiable. That said, the plan is to piece this together to the extent needed to pass an inspection. Once certified, it will get fully disassembled and built from a bare frame up. I will post as I go along, as I may need to encouragement along the way!

 

[Jim]

 

[atom4488]

View attachment 229466

Don't hold your breath, Jim. This one will take some time before noteworthy stuff happens!

 

[Bob Wegman]

Maybe post a request of parts you need, there is probably a lot of stuff stashed in inmates garages that will never get used.

 

[atom4488]

May well do that, Bob! For the time being, I think that I have most of my needs covered, as I have a fairly decent stash myself, plus I bought some bits from @DogBunny. We'll see as I start assembling.

 

[Wingedwheel]

It’s very possible Atom4488. I picked this one up from a cycle salvage with locked up just about everything. It’s a running riding machine, just working on fine tuning.

 

[atom4488]

A minor update... had a little time and a clear day to do a little work on the Special Wreck. Pulled the seat, fenders, front caliper, wiring harness and engine in preparation for pulling this into the shop. Completed a rebuild of a set of BS34's for the designated engine, which is a known runner with good compression but a noisy chain/guide. I need to continually remind myself that "the plan is to piece this together to the extent needed to pass an inspection". The build comes later, after the bike is certified as roadworthy.

The designated engine had been previously tidied up and is ready to install as soon as the frame can be cleaned and touched up.

Looking forward to being able to pursue this but have to tend to priorities in the short run. Updates to follow...

 

[atom4488]

....well, been away far too long (in SWFL doing post-Ian restoration) and therefore haven't made any progress since last December. Did make a nice Marketplace find yesterday, though; a set of Yamaha R6 forks with wheel, discs, calipers, master cylinder, triples and clip-ons. The intention is to adapt the forks but stay with a 19" spoked wheel. Will be relying on the resident experts for guidance along the way, no doubt!

 

[atom4488]

Well, its been a long time... a lot of water has passed under the bridge since the last post in this thread. I finally got around to getting this in the shop; well, not really, as its a different frame but the aim is the same. The idea is a bitsa-scrambler build. My interest is in the build and less in the finished bike. It is an exercise in fabrication, tooling, designing, and so on.

The first step was a full de-tab of the frame and a shortening of the existing rear hoop.

I could not resist doing a bit of mock-up, so I hung a swing-arm, forks, tank and whatever wheels and tires were available for a little inspiration.


Next up, part of the design is a seat pan that sits flat on top of the frame rails. This means that the frame cross-member between the shock mounts needed to go, as it is proud of the rails. Replaced that with a fabricated part and modified the front of the rails where they meet the main hoop.

Forming the seat pan came next, which necessitated a tooling upgrade. I had previously fabricated a sheet-metal brake, but now needed a radiused clamping-bar/beam (pics to follow at another time), as I wanted the pan to match the curvature of the rear hoop as closely as possible. I can tell you that bending .100" 6061 sheet takes some doing! The second pic shows the underside tab or lip that engages under the forward frame rail gusset.

There has been other stuff done that I'll post up if there is an interest in following along.

 

[Its been a long time]

Definitely interested in this build. Please keep posting. Thanks.

 

[atom4488]

Next up was the seat-pan mounting means. The tab or lip at the front of the pan was done, now for the back. I had my mind set on using quick-release push-pins. This required a second frame-rail brace to be able to mount the push-pin mechanisms. In order to align the holes in the upper and lower plates perfectly before tacking the lower plate in, I machined some plastic alignment bushing to "index" the lower plate to the upper. Hard to photograph because of lighting, but this gives you an idea.

I have developed an interest in learning to form sheet-metal, so I decided I'd take a shot at forming the tailpiece. First I welded up a wire buck directly to the frame hoop, shaping as I went, covered it with tape to be able to transfer the shape to sheet material and then went to town with mallets, the planishing hammer and the English wheel. This of course meant new dies for both the planishing hammer and the English wheel... which means I spent a bunch of time on the lathe. The end result ain't perfect, but I'm reasonably happy with it. Just pics of the buck mock-up for now...

Pics of the tail piece in steel to follow...working on the battery box currently. O 'n O for tonight!

 

[Jim]

....of mock-up, so I hung a swing-arm, forks, tank and whatever....

You staying with the DT tank?

 

[atom4488]

You staying with the DT tank?

Yes, I like the shape and dimensions of the DT tank. The mounts on the frame are already modified to mount the DT tank level with the frame rails.

 

[Jim]

Yes, I like the shape and dimensions of the DT tank.

So do I. For some reason the DT tank just looks good on an XS.

 

[atom4488]

Pics of the tailpiece wire buck (crude but effective) and the tailpiece in steel:

...the battery box, which gets hung from the chassis cross-tube below the swingarm pivot tube, and some M6 x 1.00 weld-in bungs (not doing those again, way too labour-intensive!):

More to follow as I get to it!

 

[atom4488]

No pics to show, but the tail piece mounting has been sorted using rivnets installed in the frame hoop. Happy to have found rivnuts and the appropriate installation tool in my aircraft tooling/hardware stash! Next on the agenda is the electrics box...I really don't want it to hang below the upper frame rails, but I can't see where else it can go. I am aiming for a minimally deep box, say 1.5" at the most, to house the gubbins that need to reside there. I am thinking rectifier, voltage regulator, fuse box, flasher relay, possibly the TCI box. maybe a relay or two, but that's it. The solenoid can go elsewhere, down by the battery box below the swingarm. Am I missing something? Looking for input as electrics is not my strong suit.

 

[onkelheri]

Call me crazy, but there is a plan to resurrect this 1983 Special wreck.
View attachment 229461View attachment 229462
Why, you say? Reasonable question, given its state. I would like to build a "custom" but don't want to cut up or irreversibly modify my '77 XS D, so this is my blank canvas.
The Bad:
- seized, incomplete engine
- cut up wiring harness
- rusty to a degree, but not awful
The Good;
- chassis titled in my name
- have a complete/running engine
- have most if not all the parts to complete
In QC, a vehicle that has not been plated within the last 12 months needs to undergo an inspection. Modded bikes are frowned upon if not altogether uncertifiable. That said, the plan is to piece this together to the extent needed to pass an inspection. Once certified, it will get fully disassembled and built from a bare frame up. I will post as I go along, as I may need to encouragement along the way!

Moin,

did you ever find out what made the Engine seized? Oxydation in the Cylinder ? Did you fixed it? My last expierence with a total jammed but fresh overhauled Engine? The little Spiralspring from the Starterbendixsystem had suicideplans and get between the Crankschaftcockwheel over 3 Teeth ... i swere this whas tide enought to think the Engine has molten Pistons. Long story short end: a screwdriver and some Hammerpunches get the 1mm Spring out of this situation, voila an "new engine" is now ready to run. Lucky for me!

greetz Heri

 

[atom4488]

Moin,

did you ever find out what made the Engine seized? Oxydation in the Cylinder ? Did you fixed it? My last expierence with a total jammed but fresh overhauled Engine? The little Spiralspring from the Starterbendixsystem had suicideplans and get between the Crankschaftcockwheel over 3 Teeth ... i swere this whas tide enought to think the Engine has molten Pistons. Long story short end: a screwdriver and some Hammerpunches get the 1mm Spring out of this situation, voila an "new engine" is now reddy to run. Lucky for me!

greetz Heri

@onkelheri, never did disassemble that particular engine. I have accumulated a number of engines, so I have others to choose from. The one I will be using was recently bought as part of a package and has an apparently fresh rebuild of the top-end. It also came with Mikuni VM34's and other goodies. More details will follow.

 

[atom4488]

So here's the electrics tray... made a little gaffe by trying for a perfect fit (it's too tight) so need to develop a recovery plan, probably by leaving it underhung below the frame rails. Although it is a very simple tray, the bending process is complicated by the fact that it has 5 different-sized straight section. Once you've bent the first one in the brake (not a finger brake, no such luxury for me), each of the four remaining sections require a custom set of bending dies. Lots of 1/4" flat bar got cut up!

 

[mrriggs]

made a little gaffe by trying for a perfect fit (it's too tight) so need to develop a recovery plan,

Get a bigger hammer! It'll fit.